Summer League 2018: The Product of System Basketball

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As the Utah Jazz summer league lit off its Grand Finale in the form of a win over the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday night by a score of 92-87. Porter Larsen, who works for ESPN700 in Utah, commented on how the Jazz have good “system basketball”  that provides stability and success for players that pass through.

While I believe that statement to be true, I also don’t want to discount the fact that the Utah Jazz player development and scouting team work tirelessly to bring players into the fold and then get them to be Utah Jazz players. It’s no secret anymore that the Jazz are one of the best in the business in finding the talent and then developing it. Yes, they have the system that enables it, but they also search for it.

Think back to all the pre-draft workouts the Jazz have done over the years. Whether they have one first rounder or a few in the second round, the Jazz bring in groups after groups to work out in practice jerseys beneath the Wasatch Mountains. The regular season had barely ended this past spring – the playoffs hadn’t even started yet – and the Jazz had a group in for interviews and scrimmages. By seeing so many individuals, the Jazz can collect intel on who they like and who to invite back, whether this year or in the near future.

Putting all that together leads to summer league rosters, training camp invites, and two-way contracts connected to the Salt City Stars G-league team.

Who Looks NBA Ready

My thing with Summer League is that you need to look like you belong. Sure there are exceptions both ways, but the reality is that you are playing against top college and overseas prospects, but also borderline G-league roster players. It’s my general rule that if you are an NBA roster spot you should look like it.

Looking like it is hard to define, but you can just see it, feel it.

Guys like Grayson Allen and Tony Bradley are the obvious examples.  Both of these guys went to top-tier colleges, the hierarchy of college basketball really, at Duke and North Carolina where they were part of winning programs as touted recruits. Thankfully, as you watch both their games, you can tell that both are deserving of an NBA roster spot.

Grayson Allen has had troubles with his shot in Salt Lake, but he is getting acclimated to the game while recovering from a draft tryout abductor strain injury. What’s been fun to watch with Grayson in his two Summer League games was the way that he could handle the ball and initiate offense for himself or others. This was an area the Jazz lacked last season, so it’s a breath of fresh air to see a playmaker… make plays.  His passing is something that I didn’t anticipate, but he has shown a way to create easy buckets for his teammates in the two games he played in Salt Lake (seven assists in his debut, eight in the finale). He also does all of the other things that warrant an NBA roster spot: hustles,  plays defense, gets the tough rebounds, and is annoying.

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Tony Bradley also does the dirty work as a big man down low. Bradley still isn’t quite the rim protector or paint protector you would want in a big man, but he is flashing development and potential, especially compared to his games last summer. Bradley bounced back and forth with the Stars this past season, but the question has become if he deserves a roster spot. Bradley was originally pegged as a center (6-foot-10, 7-foot-5 wingspan, 250 lbs, chiseled muscle) but the conversation may become if he is capable of being a backup forward instead.

For his work in #SaltLakeSL, Bradley received standout honors and recognition. He averaged 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 blocks over the three games. For me, he looked just as big as he actually is. Another plus is that he is only 20 years old, but already showing the growth and development you want in a big.

To Eric Woodyard of the Deseret News, Summer League coach Mike Wells said:

“He’s like a double-double every night. It’s just an important growth piece for bigs. They’ve got to play. Sometimes guards can do it in drills and stuff but I’m a big believer that big men have got to play.”

Bradley followed that up with thoughts on his improvement, saying:

“Taking that leap is all with improvement, especially on defense showing my hands, challenging shots, things like that to show everybody that I’ve gotten better, for sure. That’s one of the main things is to try to show improvement to get on the court to show that I’m ready to get some minutes.”

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But There’s More

But after these former first-round draft picks, the Jazz have a collection of other guys that look like they are NBA ready, too. As Larsen suggested, perhaps it’s a part of the Jazz culture, system, and the team’s defensive and offensive philosophy that makes these guys look good. Or perhaps, as I argue, the Jazz have a knack for finding these gems that know the game and play it the right way.

Former Iowa State teammates (and best friends, and soul mates and the topic of one of the best player features I’ve read in a long time) Naz Mitrou-Long and Georges Niang are two more examples.

Niang specifically was an all summer league MVP (and the committee deemed him as an all-tournament player) and someone who opened a lot of eyes. Niang displayed his versatility and basketball mind as he was able to initiate pick-and-roll situations where he could effectively and efficiently roll for an easy bucket or make the right read and swing it to the corner for an open three.  He was also able to pop open threes for himself from the top of the key on a regular basis. On top of that, he held his own on defense and look like he had the body and stamina to run the floor within a system to compete on a regular basis. He was the perfect example of a modern big.

The Jazz have a few days to decide whether or not to retain Jonas Jerebko  (contract becomes guaranteed if the Jazz haven’t waived him before July 9th) for the upcoming season. Jerebko is a great guy who played his role last year but it isn’t inconceivable for me to see Niang take his minutes and roster spot. He looks the part and is earning it game by game.

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Two More Maybes

Another guy that’s worthy of consideration for a training camp or last man on the bench roster spot was Stanton Kidd. I didn’t know much about him going into summer league but he was a late addition after playing overseas with Belgium, Germany, and Turkey. Kidd went undrafted in 2015, but came into the summer with the mindset to just play ball. His game isn’t anything flashy but he’s a big man who showed a great ability to protect the rim while also being able to hit some threes on the other end of the floor just like what you would want from a big in this league nowadays. In the finale versus the Hawks, Kidd had 15 points, five rebounds, two steals, two blocks, a dunk, and a shimmy.

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The Jazz are stacked at point guard with Ricky Rubio and newly retained Raul Neto and Dante Exum, but another player I liked was Trey Lewis, a 6-foot-2 guard out of Louisville. I liked his hustle and his mindset of getting everyone involved. Those two skills alone could translate into the NBA, perhaps as a Shane Larkin or J.J. Barea type. He has a higher hilll to climb to make it in the NBA, but it’s possible and possible is all these guys want.

Team Ball

What I like about this summer league roster, and specifically those guys mentioned above, is that they play basketball the right way. All of the guys on all of the summer league rosters are trying to stand out and prove themselves to showcase that they belong in the NBA, that they were worthy of their draft pick, or that they are worthy of an inclusion.  Sometimes that means playing for yourself, but the Jazz have installed the culture where as long as you play within, as long as you play together, recognition will come and you’ll be appreciated. You’ll also get paid.

This team is selfless and constructed just like the 2017-18 Jazz. You fight, you work hard, you do what you’re supposed to do, you know your role, you make each other look good, and then you look good. I don’t think it’s luck that the Jazz had success in summer league in Salt Lake because I believe they do have a handful of NBA-ready guys playing. It wasn’t Donovan Mitchell and it wasn’t Royce O’Neal but I certainly could see the next Royce O’Neal in a Niang or Kidd.

What’s next?

The Jazz take this roster into Las Vegas where they will compete in the best summer league competition of recent memory. Top picks like DeAndre Ayton (Phoenix) and Luka Doncic (Dallas) will be there along with ALL 30 teams. An awesome primer on the best players from each team can be found here, courtesy of ESPN. The action will be jam-packed over the next 10 to 12 days and the Jazz will be right in the middle of it.

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